5-year-old Kevin can't reach home

Due to the elinino climate change, villagers of Gatumba, a village located at 17 km, west of Bujumbura, Burundi, recently felt something strange as they were sleeping, they felt waters flowing into the doors of their homes. Strange enough, there were no rains that day as usual, rains had instead heavily poured down in the neighbouring countries, especially in Rwanda and Congo. 

‘’I was sleeping when I heard mom waking me up; water was already at the level of my bed’’ explains 5-year-old Kevin. They walked outside in the night through the waters, they didn’t know where to go in the dark. Siatatu, Kevin’s mother walked holding Kevin’s arm and tying on her back Kevin’s little sister and walked away the waters. They went to settle far away in an unfished building they came across; Kevin recounts.

‘’My plastic cup, I used to eat porridge, stayed there in our house’’ Kevin shows pointing his finger at their home; which is at more than 50 metres from where Kevin can reach. Waters are still there, two weeks after the floods. Kevin’s mother couldn’t rescue her belongings, she was much more concerned by her life and that of her children. Kitchen utensils, clothes, everything stayed back; neighbor recounts. Around 5,000 people were affected in the only village of Gatumba because of the rains. Before Burundi disaster management team intervened, food and shelter were so much lacking in the affected families.

Kevin’s dad was not there when flooding hit; he was away fending for family; Kevin explains. The unfortunate event enfolded when dad had recently supplied family with cassava flour, fish, salt and oil; but none of all these were rescued from the house. They were engulfed by water; continues 5-year-old Kevin. Burundi emergency responders including World Vision Burundi are working to help the affected families. World Vision with the International Organisation for migration (IOM) supported them with tents and the World Food Program (WFP) is distributing food.

Aloys Ntemako, president of the Burundi emergency responders’ platform says to have never seen before what happened, and calls upon for firm support of the different stakeholders as the floods do not show the sign of regressing.